Native children in Western Alaska suffer from a high rate of chronic respiratory symptoms, including asthma, according to research published this month.

In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers looked at the health conditions of nearly 400 Native middle-school students in the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta region of Alaska. They discovered that 40 percent experienced asthma, asthma-like symptoms or chronic productive cough.

Respiratory problems were reported equally among Native boys and girls. But researchers found that geography played a role in whether children suffered from asthma or chronic productive cough,
sometimes referred to as "wet cough."

Children living in towns were at twice the risk of asthma
than those who lived in villages, according to the study.
On the other hand, village children were nearly three times as likely
to suffer from chronic productive cough than those
in towns.

"The reasons for variation in respiratory conditions within the
YK delta are not clear," said Dr. Toby C. Lewis, who helped
conduct the study. "There is a well-established, unified health-care
system across the region, and, therefore, we do not think these
differences are due to lack of access to health care or differences
in diagnostic practices. Rather, we suspect there may be differences
in environmental conditions that either increase risk or are
protective for the children, and that these conditions vary
within the region."

According to the study, a number of factors increase the risk for
asthma and other respiratory conditions. These include crowded housing
conditions, low income levels, exposure to tobacco smoke
and exposure to wood-burning stoves. Alaska Natives have one of
the highest rates of tobacco usage in the United States.

At the same time, the rural nature of the YK delta may protect
Native children from asthma. "Exposure to concentrated industrial or motor
vehicle emissions is rare," researchers wrote in
the study. "Exposure to allergens is thought to be
uncommon, given the subarctic climate."

Additionally, Alaska Natives in the delta have access to
the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, a
Native-funded consortium representing 58 village tribal councils.
YK researchers worked with the University of Washington to
conduct the study, which was published in the May issue of
CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Asthma is the most common childhood chronic disease, with at least
5 million children in the United States affected.
Worldwide, asthma rates are on the rise.

Asthma is characterized by wheezing, coughing, or breathing difficulties,
and can lead to hospitalization.
Chronic productive cough can lead to difficulty in sleeping, which
can affect school performance.

"These respiratory conditions were severe enough to cause school absence
at least once a month for 5% of students and to trigger an emergency
department visit for 8% of students within the last year," the
researchers noted.

Most of the Native children in the study were of Yu'pik Eskimo heritage.
“With a better understanding of how asthma affects specific populations,
such as Alaska Natives, we may gain insight into how asthma can be
more effectively managed and prevented," said Paul A. Kvale,
the incoming president of the American College of Chest Physicians.

A study of American Indian and Alaska Native adults reported that
11.6 percent suffered from asthma, the highest rate among single-race groups.
The national average for adults was 7.5 percent, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.